(b. 1965, San José).
Costa Rican composer of mostly orchestral and chamber works that have been performed in the Americas and Europe; he is also active as a violinist.
Prof. Mora studied composition with William Porras at the Universidad Nacional de Costa Rica in Heredia in 1980–81, where he later studied composition with Benjamín Gutiérrez in 1997 and Luis Diego Herra in 2003–04. He studied violin with Maya Glizarova and Olga Voitova at the P. I. Tchaikovsky State Conservatory in Moscow from 1983–92 and had private lessons in composition with Yuri Vorontsov in Moscow in 2000 and 2003 and in San José in 2001.
Among his honours are the Premio Nacional Aquileo J. Echeverría from the Ministerio de Cultura of Costa Rica four times (1997, for Escenas infantiles; 1998, for Bagatelas and Cantata; 2001, for Miniaturas; 2003, for Amighetti) and the Premio de la Asociación de Compositores y Autores Musicales de Costa Rica in San José (2001, for Suite Ausencia). His music has been performed in Canada, Costa Rica, Mexico, the Netherlands, Russia, and the USA.
As a violinist, he has primarily performed his own music, as well as 20th-century music from Costa Rica, and has performed as part of the violin–piano duo Mora/Duarte since 1994.
He is also active in other positions. He co-founded the string orchestra Camerata Latinoamericana in 1995 and has served as artistic director of the Orquesta Sinfónica de Heredia since 2003.
He has taught chamber music, composition and violin as a professor at the Universidad de Costa Rica in San Pedro, Montes de Oca since 1992, where he has co-organised the annual Seminario por la Música Contemporánea since 2001.
COMPLETE LIST OF WORKS
STAGE:
El Combate (spectacle), 3 percussion, 2 violins, viola, cello, double bass, live electronics, 2004
ORCHESTRAL:
Presto, small orchestra, 1995
Concierto, marimba, small orchestra, 1996
Danza, flute, piano, 3 percussion, string orchestra, 1996
Balada y Fanfarria, large orchestra, 1997
Concierto para cuerdas, string orchestra, 1999
Concierto, guitar, orchestra, 1999
Cuadros – Obertura y carrusel, symphonic band, 2000
Amighetti (concerto), piano, 3 percussion, string orchestra, 2003
Retrato I, 2005
Concierto, 4 saxophones, symphonic band, 2005
Tres Fragmentos, large orchestra, 2006
Silencio V, violin, small orchestra (winds, harp, piano, 4 percussion), 2007
Retrato V, string orchestra, 2007 (version of work for string quartet)
Silencio III, harp, piano, percussion, string orchestra, 2008 (version of work for trombone, violin, viola, cello)
La Niña y el Viento I–V, 'Amighetti', harp, piano, percussion, string orchestra, 2008
Passacaglia, harp, piano, percussion, string orchestra, 2008
La Ascensión de Remedios, small orchestra, 2009
Sula', viola, small orchestra (piano, percussion, strings), 2010
Atisbo a JRM, 3 percussion, string orchestra, 2011
¿Quién amanece?, piccolo, flute (+ ocarina), string orchestra, 2011
Ye' Sulé II, small orchestra (winds, harp, piano, 4 percussion), 2011
Los Caminos de la noche, 2012
Caminos de piedra, piano, small orchestra (percussion, strings), 2012
CHAMBER MUSIC:
Danza, double bass, 4 marimbas, 3 percussion, 1995
Terceto, guitar, violin, bass guitar, piano (+ synthesizer), percussion, 1995
Maderas, flute, oboe, clarinet, French horn, bassoon, 2 percussion, 1996
Escenas infantiles, flute, oboe, clarinet, bassoon, 1997
Diálogos (theme with variations), soprano saxophone, percussion, 1997
Variaciones, 4 trombones, 2 percussion, 1997
Alborada, guitar, violin, piano, percussion, 1997
Preludio y fuga, bassoon/viola, piano, 1997
Preludio y danza, clarinet/violin, double bass, piano, percussion, 1997
Bagatelas, 4 bassoons, 1998
Suite Ausencia, Latin ensemble (alto saxophone [+ tenor saxophone], 3 trumpets, trombone, double bass, piano, congas [+ timbales, bongos] [1 player]), ensemble (flute, oboe, English horn, clarinet, bassoon, French horn), 1998
Miniaturas, violin, piano, 2000
Transparencia, viola, piano, 2001
Quinteto No. 2, flute, oboe, clarinet, French horn, bassoon, 2001
Comentarios (on a theme from Russia), double bass, 2002
Preludio e invención, viola, 2002
B – A – C – H, violin, 2 percussion, 2003
Danza del trovador, violin, piano, 2004
Estudio bélico, timpani, 2004
Retrato III, 4 bassoons, harpsichord, 2005
Retrato IV, flute, clarinet, violin, cello, 2005
Retrato V, string quartet, 2005 (also version for string orchestra)
Fragmentos I, piano, 2 percussion, string quartet, 2006
Fragmentos II, guitar, 2006
Silencio I, violin, piano, 2006
Silencio II, cello, piano, 2006
Silencio III, trombone, violin, viola, cello, 2006 (also version for harp, piano, percussion, string orchestra)
Retrato VI, 4 clarinets, double bass, piano, percussion, 2007
Silencio IV, violin, cello, 2007
Cuarteto de cuerdas No. 2, string quartet, 2008
Trío, clarinet/violin, cello, piano, 2008
La Víspera, violin, viola, piano, 2009
Texturas, bass guitar, percussion ensemble, 2009
Cuarteto de cuerdas No. 3, string quartet, 2009
A Inés, piano, string quartet, 2010
Bocetos a Yolanda, violin, viola, cello, piano, 2010
Prólogo y postludio para Carmen, English horn, percussion, 2011
Ultima ratio regum, French horn, percussion, 2011
Frida, flute, oboe, clarinet, French horn, bassoon, 2013
Caminos de agua, cello, percussion, 2013
CHORAL:
Cantata (text by Federico García Lorca), children's chorus, small orchestra, 1998 (version of vocal work)
Verdad que tú no tienes – Soy como una ciudad (text by Jorge Debravo), mixed chorus, piano, 3 percussion, 2006
VOCAL:
Cantata (text by Federico García Lorca), soprano, small orchestra, 1998 (also version for children's chorus, small orchestra)
In Memoriam, soprano/alto, violin, cello, piano, percussion, 2008 (also version for soprano/alto, flute, oboe, clarinet, French horn, bassoon, percussion, 2008)
Siete Visiones, soprano, tenor, baritone, 3 percussion, 2 violins, viola, cello, double bass, 2010
Ni aquí, ni allá, soprano, string orchestra, 2012
PIANO:
Dos Piezas, 2003
Retrato II, 2005
Ye' Sulé I, 2011